A workplan has been signed!
Because of the work of thousands of Iowans, we've got a victory. Environmental Protection Agency and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have signed a far-reaching Clean Water Act work plan agreement that will significantly change the way the state of Iowa enforces, inspects, and permits factory farms.
You can read the final agreement and all related documents and materials on the EPA Region 7 website here: http://www.epa.gov/region7/water/.
This is a huge victory for clean water in Iowa. The workplan mandates:
on-site inspections for all large factory farms
on-site inspections for medium-sized factory farms if they have had a sizeable spill in the last five years, or store manure in an open pit less than 1/4 mile from a water of the U.S.
desk surveys for all other medium-sized factory farms
increased separation distances
tougher enforcement, including more violations subject to fines and penalties
The work plan process was initiated by the EPA in response to a 2007 de-delegation petition filed by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Environmental Integrity Project, and the Iowa Sierra Club. The petition called on EPA to strip the Iowa DNR of its regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act for its failure to enforce federal law against factory farm polluters. The petition will remain outstanding during the five-year implementation period.
Iowa Governor Branstad and industry groups pushed for a much weaker agreement that would have only guaranteed on-site inspections for about 500 of the very largest factory farms - those with more than 2,000 beef cattle or 5,000 hogs – but the final agreement requires inspections at at least 3,200 facilities after the petitioners and 17 other organizations demanded on-site inspections for all medium-sized and large factory farms.
The thousands of inspections and assessments DNR must conduct under the new agreement are intended to identify discharging facilities that require Clean Water Act permits.
Iowa CCI member Larry Ginter says it best:
“There’s no question this deal would have been stronger and more effective without the political interference of Governor Branstad and the Iowa Farm Bureau, but at the end of the day, this is a good step forward that lays the groundwork to win even more changes in the future. This fight is far from over. We will rigorously monitor the implementation of this agreement and continue to press our demands through rulemaking as well as during the 2014 legislative session.”